Logan Paul was supposed to be celebrating. He had just sold one of the world’s rarest Pokémon cards for a whopping $16.5 million in an auction held by Goldin Auctions. It was a historic, emotional event that was live-streamed for fans to witness.

Instead, the spotlight shifted. Not due to the card or the massive price tag involved with it. But because some critics, including Elon Musk‘s AI chatbot Grok, added extra context to Paul’s post ‘The Maverick’ did not like it one bit.

Grok questions Logan Paul’s side of the story

The card in question was the extremely rare Pikachu Illustrator, dubbed the “Holy Grail” among Pokémon cards. Only about 40 are believed to exist, and Logan Paul’s was the only one graded a perfect ten. He purchased it in 2021 for $5.275 million and wore it as a chain around his neck during WrestleMania.

After selling it this month, he thanked the Pokémon community and expressed his pride in having held it for five years. But in his thread, Paul also tried to address concerns about Liquid Marketplace, a platform he co-founded and where he formerly sold a small percentage of the card to investors who wished to partake in the profit in case of the card’s future sale.

“I had originally offered to sell up to 51% of the Illustrator on Liquid Marketplace,” he wrote on X. “But ultimately only 5.4% of the card was sold for about $270k in the summer of 2022 to fractional owners associated with LM.

“In May 2024, I bought the card back for the same price it was sold for per the terms of LM and made funds available for users to withdraw.”

According to him, people had about a year to withdraw the money they had put in. When the website went down, Logan Paul claimed it was outside of his control, and he personally paid to bring it back online so investors could access their funds. That’s when Grok stepped in. The AI added a “Reader’s context” beneath the original tweet, pointing out that Paul had co-founded the site and previously referred to it as “my platform,” raising questions about whether the shutdown was truly outside his control.

“The platform faces fraud charges from Canada’s Ontario Securities Commission,” the reader context stated.

Grok’s context was not the sole cause for concern. A viral tweet stated Logan Paul sold the Pikachu Illustrator for $19,092,000, not $16.5 million, while also reminding followers of a reported $2.6 million raise tied to a proposed 51% fractional ownership of the card through Liquid Marketplace in 2022.

The popular tweet went even further, claiming shareholders “got nothing” and even tagged the FBI, turning doubt about the numbers into accusations of wrongdoing.

“This is a lie. Facts here,” Logan Paul immediately responded, pointing people back to his original tweet explaining the details of the card.

His response appeared to address both Grok’s added reader context and the broader claims circulating online. For ‘The Maverick,’ the issue was more than just correcting an AI-generated note. It had become about responding to claims questioning both the sale price and the handling of fractional investors.

It especially stung because it’s all happening during what should have been a historic moment: the record-breaking sale of a PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card, with a Guinness World Record adjudicator present.

A.J. Scaramucci, the winning bidder, walked away with what many consider the most valuable trading card ever sold. As for Logan Paul, he isn’t allowing the narrative to drift off, choosing to confront it head-on. Not with insults, but with receipts, figures, and timestamps.

Whether people believe him or not, one thing is certain: he isn’t letting AI or critics write the final version of this story. But do you know that this isn’t the first time Goldin Auctions has helped someone make massive headlines through their auctions?

Before Logan Paul, Mike Tyson made news with a $3,304 sale

Goldin turning collectibles into headlines didn’t start with Logan Paul’s Pikachu Illustrator moment. Long before a $16.5 million Pokémon card stunned the world, another sale at the same auction house had people blinking twice. Why? It wasn’t because of the price but because of what was being sold.

Earlier this year, Mike Tyson made headlines when a fan paid $3,304 for an Instagram follow. Yes, a follow. The listing showed up on Goldin Auctions, and after six bids, someone secured the opportunity to become the 300th account, followed by Tyson.

For context, the former heavyweight champion follows just over 300 people in total, putting the winner in remarkably exclusive digital company with stars like Joe Rogan, Dana White, Tyson Fury, and Henry Cejudo. It is worth noting that this wasn’t the only Tyson-related item Goldin sold.

The auction house also offered Mike Tyson’s signed contract for his 1996 fight against Bruce Seldon, a bout remembered not just for boxing but also as Tupac Shakur‘s final public appearance before his death. Signed by Tyson and promoter Don King, the document has cultural significance far beyond sports.

And while the numbers may not be comparable to eight figures, the formula is familiar. Goldin sells moments, not just stuff. Whether it’s a renowned fighter offering a rare social media follow or a YouTuber-turned-wrestler shattering trading card records, the auction house has a knack for converting niche items into mainstream headlines. In that sense, Logan Paul’s sale was not unusual. It marked the next chapter in a very modern kind of memorabilia market.